Having a good summer pasture management plan in place can save you many headaches later on. It will allow you to put out any potential fires, not literally, before they can occur.
As the days begin getting longer, now is the time to get that plan figured out and put into place. Because of the different variations that can occur, you do not want to wait till the last minute on this one,
During this time, your pastures will be the base for all of your cattle’s nutritional needs. While it may be able to meet all of its demands now, that may not be the case in a couple of months. As anyone that has been involved in ranching will tell you, the weather can change you on a dime. What was once lush and green can turn brown and nonperforming in a matter of a couple of weeks.
But with some foresight, you can be ahead of the curve when it comes to anything the weather throws at you. I have compiled four steps that you can take to plan out your summer pasture management needs.
Cedar, more accurately known as juniper, can be tricky to control. It is a very aggressive woody plant that grows here in Texas as well as in other places. It is often considered invasive because, if left unchecked, it can quickly take over a pasture choking out any grass growth.
Fertilizer costs have increased a lot over the last few decades, even more over the last couple of years. An example of this is that nitrogen fertilizer has doubled in just the last 2 years. With the way things are going it is not looking it will change for the better any time soon.
Spring is almost around the corner. The temperatures will soon start to rise and the grass, hopefully, will begin to grow again. For most people, pasture management comes to mind when the temperatures start to rise but that is not necessarily the case. It is important to get a start on it now.
Mesquite trees are the most popular 
Doing a soil test can be a very effective tool in a producer’s toolbox. It can tell you the kind of nutrients available as well as the amounts that are present. Really it is the foundation of any plan to improve the output of your pastures.
A good pasture is the foundation of any profitable livestock operation. It provides the forages needed to not only sustain but also allow the livestock to grow. Having enough forages for all of the animals is important to keep your feed costs down to a manageable level. However, keeping a pasture at this level can be a little complicated.
A wheat pasture is a valuable resource for many cattle operations. This plant is a valuable source of high-quality forage when most other forages are low in quantity and quality. The unique climate in areas of the Southern plains, like here in Texas can allow producers to use wheat as both a forage and a grain crop. This can potentially increase the overall profitability of many operations.
Grazing management in the fall can have an impact on your future forage production. The intensity of your grazing animals determines what state they will be in. Also, grazing during the winter may be limited depending on what forages you have available.
Performing a soil test is one of the most underutilized range management tools. Knowing your soil’s fertility and what nutrients are provided is crucial. Often times producers just put out the same fertilizer they always have and hope for the best.
